Sen. Barrett wants Massachusetts to take lead in combating climate change

Thursday

Jun 1, 2017 at 4:50 PMJun 1, 2017 at 4:50 PM

A proposed Massachusetts Senate resolution would put the commonwealth on record in favor of a cooperative effort among American states and cities to meet U.S. commitments under the Paris Agreement on climate change.

The initiative, offered by Sen. Mike Barrett, D-Lexington, Senate chairman of the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy emerged June 1 as a response to President Donald Trump’s decision to begin withdrawing the U.S. from the landmark global accord.

The resolution states that “if left unaddressed, the consequences of a rising global temperature will adversely impact the citizens of Massachusetts and the entire country, hitting vulnerable populations hardest, and hurting working families.”

The Paris Agreement of 2015 provides a cooperative framework for limiting global temperature rise to well below 2 degrees Celsius.

According to the resolution, the Massachusetts Senate will commit to working with “municipal and state governments across the United States to realize this nation’s commitments under the Paris Agreement.”

“Even as Washington surrenders its leadership among nations, it’s also losing its capacity to affect steps taken by the rest of us,” Barrett said. “Massachusetts can move forward in cooperation with cities and states across this country and with other nations across the world. We can do this without the participation of our own national government, as sad as that will be. Just as we need a new federalism, it also appears we need a ‘new internationalism’, and Massachusetts should be part of it.”

Barrett says he expects other states, including California, to join Massachusetts in support of cooperative action of the kind cited in his resolution. He hopes the document will attract co-sponsors from both sides of the aisle. Current Republican Governor Charlie Baker signed a letter urging the federal government to remain in the Paris accord.

Barrett noted that on May 31, former Republican Governor Mitt Romney tweeted, “Affirmation of the Paris Agreement is not only about the climate: It is also about America remaining the global leader.”